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broiled radishes with sesame soy sauce :: by radish*rose

blistered radishes with sesame soy sauce

radish*rose 1 Comment

Behold, the humble red radish, my namesake. Broiled, the bite goes away and they almost resemble baby red potatoes – I’m not kidding – but with a tiny kick remaining… and NO CARBS, BABY. My husband mowed ALL of these (I had a dainty few). OK maybe 2/3 him, 1/3 me. LOL. My point is, they’re really good. I feel like this could be the next cauliflower. (Veggie that gets all kinds of star treatment due to being a carb stand-in!) Continue reading

dilly beans :: by radish*rose

spicy garlic dilly beans

radish*rose 5 Comments
Do you love green beans? Me too! These are a crunchy fresh green bean flavor bomb of garlicy, vinegary, dilly goodness – yet they are low in fat and salt. Healthy eating does not have to be boring! The first time I made these, I had a handful and my husband ate the rest of A WHOLE POUND of beans, he loved them so much! (A pound of green beans is kiiiind of a lot for one person. LOL. He’s awesome.) The nice thing is, you can make these ahead and/or make a ton, because the longer they sit in the marinade, the more imbued with flavor they become. A great addition to your fresh appetizer, picnic, or tapas table, or to accompany a healthy wrap or sandwich! Or just eat ’em standing up in the kitchen. They’re that good.

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crispy baked cauliflower croquettes :: by radish*rose

crispy baked cauliflower croquettes

radish*rose 1 Comment
Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside – yet light and healthy – totally guilt-free. You’d almost think they’d been fried, but guess what – they’re baked! Croquettes are typically deep-fried breaded treats – but these are WAY lower in carbs and fat than fried potato croquettes with traditional breading, because they are made of cauliflower and baked instead of fried. I used panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) for breading, but take note – you need some oil to make the panko turn brown and crisp in the oven (it will stay dead white if you don’t use any oil – I learned this the hard way for all of us. You’re welcome.). A blast of olive oil cooking spray before baking does the trick!
 
If you want to get fancy, you could add a bit of filling to the middle (like a small cube of cheese or ham, if you’re into that sort of thing) – just form the croquette around it.

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beet, walnut, and blue cheese kale salad :: by radish*rose

beet, walnut, and blue cheese kale salad

radish*rose 1 Comment

Beets are just about the pinkest of pink foods. I mean, that deep, deep pink magenta color is just gorgeous. Anyone who knows me personally knows I’m crazy about PINK! The pinkness of beets is just so vibrant, it makes me happy.

However… have you ever noticed that when you buy a bunch of beets, they are all different sizes, which is annoying because they cook at different rates? Like one tiny one and two huge ones. That’s what I got in my CSA box, but I like a vegetable challenge, so never fear, we have the technology. (Steam!)

I’d only roasted beets (which takes about an hour and half) and never steamed them before but I’m quite delighted with this new technique. The skins come right off after, and you can remove the little ones when they’re done and keep going with the others. (Harder to do with roasting. Maybe it’s all that foil.)

Of course you can use any crumbly or grated cheese you like for this, or eliminate it altogether. I like blue cheese because it stands up to the earthiness of the beets. Restaurants often use goat cheese which is also nicely assertive. But you be you. Whatever you like. Continue reading

ginger soy butter mussels :: by radish*rose

ginger soy butter mussels

radish*rose 2 Comments

Ginger, soy sauce, and a touch of butter make an irresistible Japanese-influenced East-West broth for these mussels.  The original recipe was for clams, but I haven’t quite gotten the hang of cleaning those yet, so I substituted mussels since I know what to do with those (and so will you, read on!).  Also, did I mention that mussels are one of the most sustainable types of seafood?  Yay for mussels! Continue reading